This made my day today! Our company has its monthly Theme Friday today and it's all about Independence day. Uhmm we're specifically told to wear heroes costumes but it's my restday today and I wasn't really sure if I want to come so I didn't prepare for anything to wear. I decided to go at the last minute and just wore my red Allstars shirt and a blue pants. I told them I am the Flag! ahahaha.

I took lots of photos earlier and if you want to check it out, it's in my multiply page. Allstars has a multiply page where they post photos of people wearing the shirt and I sent a message about mine. After just a minute, I got a reply from them and they have put my photo in their album!

It's sooo cool!

Anyways..if you don't know who the group AllStars is, they won the 2006 World HipHop Championship and is a very tough yearly contender in that competition! Check out their vids in youtube. They definitely rock it!

I love them because they're also very God-centered. Their friendster shoutout says "we're number 2, coz He'll always be number 1!"

And this is from their about me page:

Allstars is a filipino based dance group originally made up of 12 young and talented performers known for its authentic hiphop and RnB flava which combines different styles of urban grooves to its international status. The group puts breakdancing, pop lockin', freestyling, krump, old school and new school in the mix. Each member contributes to the solid foundation thru their own inviduality and style. Allstars started as close knit friends coming from different backgrounds and was formed for the 4th World Hip Hop Championships held in Los Angeles, California where they placed 6th out of 26 other competing teams. Last year, Allstars put Philippines on the map when they won the GOLD in the 2nd International Hip Hop Open D'Italia in Torino, Italy last June & the 5th World Hip Hop Championships in Redondo Beach, California last July 29, 2006. They continue and hope to positively improve the country's standards in the entertainment industry by spreading their knowledge and awareness thru the art of dancing. Allstars are featured in many events, concerts, tours, TV guestings, commercials, music videos and print ads.

Their page is here: http://allstars2005.multiply.com/. Check it out! :)

If there is one thing that has helped me lose weight, it's actually paying attention to the calories that I eat. A sure fire way of losing weight is to eat less than what your body needs to burn. So, first thing you need to do is to check how much your body needs. It depends on your height, weight and the activities that you do in a day. An average female needs about 2,000 calories daily. According to this calculator, I need about 1,600 calories to maintain my current weight. Now, to lose weight, I'd need to consume less than that and burn more by exercising. (To lose one pound, a person must burn 3,500 calories more than are consumed - 500 calories per day over the course of a week).

Here's just a few tips of what I've done to slim down: ( I actually got a few things on the list from a magazine)

1. Stop drinking calories - Do you know how much calories there are on softdrinks and juices? A can of coke has 143 calories, a 12 oz Iced tea has about 105 calories, and a Mocha Frappe Venti w/o whipped cream has 380 calories! Since I needed to save those calories for food, I just drank water or if Im really craving for something sweet, I'd drink Coke Light. My friends do enjoy hanging out in Starbucks and it's not as if I want to kill my social life and deprive myself of coffee entirely so I'd compromise and allow myself a tall cup of Mocha Frappe Light which only has 105 calories or better yet, I just get a grande sized hot green tea with honey.

2. Cut back elsewhere when you overeat - Once in a while when I eat out in a fastfood and had a big lunch, or just when I know I've eaten something that is very high in calorie, I'd make up for it by having a small dinner or exercising for some extra minutes to make up for the calories.

3. Make exercise work for you - At home, our threadmill is in front of the tv so that we can exercise while watching and not think about how long we've been walking on it. I also have my rubber mat, dumbbells, and stability ball in front of the tv so I can exercise while watching Gossip girl or the latest Korean drama. Haha. I don't sit in our sofa anymore, I'd usually sit in my stability ball and do crunches during commerical breaks or do hip circles while watching.

4. Find a diet buddy - I was able to motivate one of my friends to lose weight and together we'd talk about diet tips. I also found out one friend of mine who is into marathons. I asked if I can go with her and she had me join their organization. We had planned to join a marathon this coming weekend and I also asked her if I can join her when she jogs aroung the UP Oval. I can't wait for the marathon! One thing more, my brothers have also lost weight through diet and exercise and now, both of them are into muay thai, I plan to try it one of these weekends as well. :) It should be really cool!

5.Eat anything - but in moderation - I do indulge myself with my favorite foods once in a while - I can't possible give up on dark chocolates, blueberry cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and other junk foods! Having three bites of cheesecake won't hurt but eating a whole cake will! So what I do is portion control. I allow myself to enjoy but I do set limits as to how much I eat. As they say..Everthing in moderation!

6. Look at the serving size - The Nutrition Facts panel has the serving size and the number of servings per package. Make sure that you are comparing what you eat to what the serving size is. A large bag of chips usually has about 3 servings or a cup per serving. So if you eat a whole bag, then you'd need to multiply the calories to 3. What I do to prevent overeating is to get the smallest size bag that they have available or share the whole bag to all my friends.

7. Never starve yourself - I don't let myself go hungry. This just puts the body in starvation mode and lowers the metabolism therefore making it harder to lose weight. I usually just have 2 - 3 meals and a light snack in between, at 2-3 hour intervals. Snacking on a small pack of happy nuts or other 100 calorie packs help me stave off hunger in between meals.

8. Write down what you eat - My nutritionist before asked me to write down everything that I ate in a day and then at the end of the week, she'd check it to see if I was able to stay on my needed calorie intake. This is a great way of seeing exactly what, where, and when I've eaten and helps me to balance my food intake.

I found some sites which has calorie information and nutrition data of everyday foods as well as popular fast food menus.

I've been thinking of what to give my dad for Father's day. Well my limited budget wouldn't allow me to get him one of the expensive shirts he's so fond of having so I decided to give him the next best thing, I'm just going to make him a cake! Make not bake! (Hahaha damn oven's broken!) So I went to the grocery and bought ingredients so I can make a mango float (Graham, mangoes, cherries, nuts, milk, and cream). My dad's got a sweet tooth so Im pretty sure he'll like it! It may not cost a lot but it's made with love so this one's priceless. Hahaha

To all the fathers out there! Today's your day! Your children may not say it often, but we certainly appreciate everything you've done for us and we love you very very much.

To my dad, you may not be perfect, but for me, you are the GREATEST dad! xoxo

Happy Father's Day!!

My grandparents will arrive from Vegas today and my family went to the airport to welcome them home. Too bad I've got work! Since it's on the way, I had them drop me off Ayala. I'm stuck here till 9pm. :-( I'm supposed to follow them later, eek it's going to be too late when I get there..hopefully I still have some leftover pasalubongs and food for me. Hahaha diet's off for now. It's my cheat day! hahaha

I'm so excited to see Mama and Papa, it's been quite a while since I last saw them. The cake I made is for them too! I made about 4 batches. That should be enough for everyone to share :). Just 8 more hours. tick tock tick tock. Can't wait for the time to pass! I'll be off here running to the nearest MRT station in a jiffy.

You probably have seen KC Concepcion in her Metro Cover, Enervon ads, and Bayo billboards scattered around the Metro by now. Notice how trim she is now? She's actually one of my inspirations in really focusing on my goal to lose weight just in time for summer. Haha, it's my dream to pose like that in the beach. (which I did do by the way! When my friends were not looking, I asked one friend to go with me and dragged her towards the farthest end of the beach to take some shots. Lol)

How did KC do it? Through the proven and effective way of eating the right foods and working out :)

Here's an article from the Inquirer about her fab new bod:MABUHAY!KC, sexy, coolBy Jenni EppersonPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 20:56:00 03/06/2008Most ReadMANILA, Philippines—Fans have been abuzz about KC Concepcion’s new rock-hard body that is all set for the skin-baring summer.

Gone are the last layers of baby fat, now replaced by cuts, abs and muscles that would give Cameron Diaz a run for her money.

The secret behind her fab new bod? A lot of discipline and focus.

KC says she is a disciple of the South Beach Diet, which she has adhered to for months. She’s been snacking on Florabel’s dried mushroom chips, she tanks up on green tea and even malunggay juice! KC is also a pesco-vegetarian, so even her diet is tailor-made for her.

Of course, a good diet works best with exercise, and KC has been doing regular dance workouts with Douglas Nierras. But before you think she’s gone totally cornflake bohemian on us, she does indulge once in a while on Veuve Cliquot. In fact, she popped a bottle after this shoot to share with everyone on the beach.

KC’s love affair with the Bayo label can only get hotter in the coming months. She continues to be the perfect poster girl for Bayo, reflecting its clean, classic, laid-back image yet with lots of style and substance.

“KC is such a joy to work with. We love her just as much as she loves Bayo. And as we’ve said over and over again, we feel so lucky to have her on board. We thank the heavens for such a blessing,” says Bayo owners Cor Bitong and Lyn Agustin.

Bayo’s summer collection is all about explosive colors. Look for a lot of tomato-reds, daffodil-yellows, denim-blues, lilacs, blush-pinks and wild-greens. Add to that nautical details like stripes and color blocks as an anchor element.

Other trends to watch out for are chiffon florals for cover-ups, either in long flowing beach gowns or short kaftans and tunics. Colored jeans and shorts are usually topped with Bayo’s signature graphic tees.

I'm also into South Beach, green tea, and dancing (uhmm mine's just in front of the mirror) and have yet to try the malunggay juice. I wonder how that would taste! Should I go to our backyard tomorrow, gather some leaves and dump it in the blender? Hehehe let's see..

I've been drinking green tea everyday for several months now. I'm not talking about the powdered tea you can buy in groceries (that's so loaded with sugar!) or the bottled ones. I'm talking about the loose tea leaves and tea bags that you actually steep in hot water.

Studies show that green tea burns fat faster as it has a thermogenic effect. It produces heat in the body that results in fat burning. It also initiates faster metabolism causing the body to burn fat at a faster rate. It also has anti-oxidants that can prevent cancer, plus so much more benefits. You can google it and read more about the health benefits of drinking tea :)

At home, I use the loose leaf tea. It actually tastes better than tea bags. I drink it without sugar, or sometimes I put in a teaspoon of honey to make it a bit sweeter. I also drink it at work, teabags are better because it is handy plus I usually use 1 tea bag twice. Just don't let it steep for more than three minutes as it will taste bitter.

I think drinking green tea takes some time getting used to. Specially if you don't put sugar in it. Hehe. What I usually do is buy teas with added flavor in it. Lipton has peppermint and lemon green tea. A bit pricier is Twinings. It comes in a box of 20 tea bags and 5 different flavors. You can also try the ones you can buy in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It tastes great as well plus it's really smells good. I love their strawberry flavored and japanese cherries green tea. :)

I usually drink it hot and sugarless, but sometimes I steep it in just a little bit of hot water then pour in ice and cold water plus some sugar substitute or honey to spice it up. In a day, I drink about 4-6 cups of green tea (2-3 tea bags in a day)

On another note, I just want to share what I found online. I've always loved the Iced Tea in Wendy's. It's a recipe for their tea:

Aside from the usual workout using the weights and the machines in the gym, I also enjoyed attending group classes. I used to be a Fitness First member and there are a lot of classes you can choose from. I used to do BodyJam, Body Combat, BodyBalance, BodySteps, BodyPump, RPM, TaiChi, Yoga and Pilates. Each class usually last about an hour and you don't usually notice that the time has passed because it's fun and really engaging. You also get to meet a lot of new friends. I missed this when I decided to end my membership at around the same time I resigned from work. I really didn't want to end it, I've been going for a few years and I liked how you can go to any of their clubs scattered around the metro and in malls. The free brewed coffee, internet access, sauna and steam room are a plus. The gym is a place I go to to destress after work and thinking about not going there anymore was a thought I really hated but had to do because I need to be practical. I could't afford to pay around 2,500 a month if I don't have work.

Cardio exercises are really what helps burn fat so I have to think of ways to get my heart rate up aside from the classes I used to do. I've used up all the dance moves I know dancing in front of the mirror with the door of the bedroom locked. (Couldn't let anyone else see me doing crazy dance moves so I had to keep the door locked. Lol) and it has gotten a bit boring so I decided to go look for some exercise DVDs in the ever-famous land of DVDs -- Carriedo.

While looking at endless selections of DVDs they have available, something caught my attention. Shaun T.'s smiling face and half naked body showing off his 6-pack abs while grooving to some HipHop music seems to be calling me. I know I got to have it!

As soon as I went home, I put the DVD in the player and Im instantly hooked! I can still hear Shaun T saying tilt, tuck,and tighten your abs! His dvd set has 4 workouts that gets you grooving to the latest HipHop music while burning fat and some ab sculpting moves that really works out and target your upper and lower abs and obliques. Mine was really sore afterwards and I can see the outline of my ab muscles hiding beneath the layers of fat in my belly. Hahaha. This is really a fun workout I tell yah! Better get one, you won't regret it.

My friends and I sometimes go clubbing during Saturday nights and one of them also had a copy of this workout and so we were being crazy and using Shaun T.'s Saturday Night Fever moves on the dancefloor. It was really fun, you can really use his groovy moves on the dancefloor. :-)

Perhaps you've heard about drinking 8 glasses of water a day. It not only is the best beauty treatment but it also helps in weight loss. This is one of the first few things I did when I went on a diet. I would drink a glassful of warm water before eating any meal. This really helps decrease appetite as your stomach will feel full.

The first few days of drinking more water than what you normally drink can be quite a hassle. When I did it, I was going to the restroom constantly. This can get discouraging and can interfere with your normal activities but it is normal. What happens is your body gets rid of the "excess" water that it is storing in your body. Often times people drink less than what they need to and this warns the body to go on "survival mode" and store up on water. But once your body realizes that you are drinking enough, it gets rid of its stores and thinks that there is more coming so it doesn't need to hold water anymore. It just flushes every excess water out of your body! So don't worry about drinking a lot of water and getting bloated on the process.

Wondering whether to drink warm or cold water?

A lot of experts are debating about how cold water helps in weight loss as it requires more energy to burn, but it should also be noted that warm or room temperature water is easier to digest, therefore allowing you to drink more. So I'd say drink either! It doesn't really matter as long as you're drinking enough.

If water looks boring to you, spice it up by adding lemon or pandan! If you're going to UCC, ask for their lemon water and if you want to eat lugaw in Lugawan Republic, ask for their water! It takes like pandan.

I resigned from work last November 2007 and studied Nursing for a semester (ok, don't ask me why! That's gonna be a long story. Hehe). One day while doing a group project, I ran and turned around hastily when I remembered something I left outside. I then felt an excruciating pain in my lower back and was unable to move or walk without me screaming in agony. I thought the pain will go away but it did not. I was still unable to walk, move and bend by the next day so I decided to see a doctor to know what's going on. They had my back x-rayed. The doctor explained to me the results. He said the pain was only caused by muscle spasms and a good heat massage and a couple of muscle relaxers in the next few days should help me. I was glad I didn't slip a disc! Then he said that although I'm okay, the space in front and on the back of my 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae are not equal. The back has less space between the bones. He said that this could be caused by undue pressure on my back and that I should try to lose some weight and avoid sit-ups and lifting heavy objects for some time.

What he told me finally made me realize that I REALLY need to lose weight and it firmed up my resolve to do it seriously and religiously this time around.

I first set out a goal for myself. I weighed 128lbs that time and I wanted to be at 100lbs. Now, this is not a random number I picked up. I based it on what is going to be healthy and normal for my height as what this site suggests. I also wanted to be realistic with my goal and that I want to be on that weight in 3 months.

I started a weight journal and this is what my original measurements are:

May 2008Weight: 104lbsBust:35inWaist:27inHips:35Arms:10.5inThighs:19in

You can only imagine my delight that I'm seeing results! I was glad I wrote down my numbers otherwise I really wouldn't have any idea whether Im losing or not. This motivated me more to continue pursuing my goal.

I also found out a good site to see how you'd look like at certain weights. The Virtual Model was originally designed as a way to help people shop for clothes. Stores such as Sears, H&M, Adidas and Land’s End have My Virtual Model-equipped sites where both men and women can enter information about their body type and see clothes as they will look on their body.

If you sign up and try it, you can change the virtual model’s body shape, bust size, waist definition, height, weight, age, shape of the eyes, nose, lips, and face, skin tone, hairstyle and hair color. Then when you pick a piece of clothing you can see it on your virtual model, giving you a good idea of how it will look on you. Now it can also be used for diet inspiration by letting you enter in your current weight and your goal weight and actually get two different models to show you how you look now compared to how you will look after you lose the weight.

I was not really overweight. I was more of what you'd say a "chubby" girl or someone with a "healthy" body. I'm 5'0 tall and on my heaviest, I weighed 128lbs and my BMI is 25. Technically that still is within the healthy range for my height. BMI (Body Mass Index) or the amount of body fat based on height and weight should be between 19-25 to be considered within the normal range. If I just add 2 more pounds, my BMI would be 25.4 and I'd be considered overweight! (If you want to know what's the healthy weight for you, you can check out this site)

I lost weight when I was in college, back then I was around 110 lbs. I started dieting and going to the gym. Sad to say my weight ballooned when I started working. I worked for a callcenter and I was in technical support. So you know the scenario: graveyard shift, stressful work, overtimes, irate customers, guy teammates, and money to spend! In my first team, I was the only girl and I was in a company of guys who love to eat all day! After a few months, I was barely able to wear anything that I have in my closet.

I decided to start going to the gym again. I used to go to Red Corner in Intercon Hotel and then became a member of Fitness First for almost 3 years . Those times, I'd lose and gain a few pounds but never really anything that I was able to keep off for long. I also did the South Beach diet, I lost 10 lbs on my first week in Phase1 of the diet. Then I went on vacation with my friends and for 7 days, we were in Bacolod pigging out and trying out the different restaurants! It was such a fun experience but caused me to gain 6 pounds.

I've always tried to eat healthy and cut out bad fats and carbs from my diet and exercise regularly but I wasn't getting the body I wanted nor seeing the results I want to see. I've worked with personal trainers and a nutritionist so you can say I've learned a lot about what to eat right and what to do to lose the weight. I was just very impatient because Im not seeing the results so I'd stop for awhile then start the cycle all over again.

I just have to say this before going home. I TOTALLY LOVE THIS DRINK!!

I saw it in their poster yesterday and decided to try it. I had it again today at lunch. Dark chocolate is absolutely one of my favorite food. I can't get enough of it. So imagine my delight when I saw they have this new drink! It's is totally yummy and the choco bits make it more tasty.

While I was ordering this in the counter, I had to control and remind myself that I'm watching what I eat so I had it light and had to let the whipped cream go.

After the nth time, I finally decided to start blogging AGAIN. I say again because I have started-stopped-started blogging several times now. It's been more than a year since my last post on my old blog and several months since my last post in multiply.

Why did I start blogging again? I feel that there is so much I need to share specially since I have become serious in my battle against weight. Now that I am succeeding and seeing results, I want to be able to share this with my friends and show them all the helpful things I've been getting from the net.

I also sort of have a lot of free time now and I can spend some time updating my blog unlike before where all I want to do after work is sleep.

Lastly, I've been thinking of ways to earn extra money and having a blog and putting ads could help in some way.

So, that's it basically!

I spent all day today looking for templates and I decided to use this. I'd probably have to customize it some other time.